Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-28
SHE
N.HiStorzr' Of: Ad2ehture
By J. RIDER HAaeARD.

HSuch Is the tale, my love, and now Is TIN
hour at hand that shall set u crown upon 1t
Like all things on tho earth 1t Is compounded
of evil and Of good-more Of evil than o.
good, perchance-and writ in letters of blood
It Is the truth; naught have hidden from
thee, Kallilsrates. And now one thing befort
tho final moment of thy trial We go down
into the presence OF death, for life and death
arc very near together, and-who knows
That might happen which should separate us
for another space Of waiting. i am but q
woman, and no prophecies, and cannot read
the future. But this know-for / learned II
from the lips Of tho wise man Noot-that my
life Is but prolonged and made more bright.
1t cannot live for ny. Therefore before wo go,
tell me, o KallilSrntes, that Of truth thou
dost forgive me, and dost love me from thy
heart. See, Kallikrates; much evil have
done-perchance it was evil but two nights
gone to strike that girl who loved thee cold in
death-but she disobeyed me and angered me,
prophesying misfortune 10 me, and smote.
Be careful when power comes 10 thee also lest
thou also shouldst smite in thine anger or thy
jealousy, for inconquerable strength is a sore
weapon in the hands of erring man. Yes, |
have sinned-out of the bitterness born of
a great love have l sinned-but yet do l
know the good from the evil, nor is my
heart altogether hardened Thy love, D
Kallikrates, shall be the gate Of my re-
demption, even as aforetime my passion
was the path down which ran TO evil.
For deep love unsatisfled Is the hell OF noble
hearts and portion for the accursed, but
love that Is mirrored back more perfect from
the soul of our desires doth fashion wings 10
Att us above ourselves, aIid make US what we
might be- Therefore, Kaihkrates eaho he
by the hand, and lift my veil with no more
fear than though ] were some peasant girl,
md not tho wisest and most beautaous woman
in this world, and look me In the eyes, and
tell me that thou do5t forgive me with all
thine heart, and that with oil thine heart
thou dost worship me-"
She paused, and the strange tenderness in
her voice seemed TO hover round us like a
memory. l know that the sound Of il moved
mo more even thin her words, 1t was 30 very
human--so very womanly. Leo, too, was
strangely touched. Hitherto no had been
fascinated against his better Judgment, some
thing as bird is fascinated by snake, but
now think that oil this passed away, and
he realized that no really loved this strange
and glorious creature, as, alas loved her
also At any rate, saw his eyes Gil with
tears, and he stepped swiftly to her and UNI
did the gauzy VEIL and then took her by tho
hand, and, gazing into her deep eyes, said
aloud:
"Ayesha, love thee with all my heart,
and so far as forgiveness is possible, forgive
thee tho death OF Ustane For the rest, it Is
IL. ,..I tAxv. II 1r,.ou
naught Of it. only know that love thee
as l never loved before, and that I will
cleave to thee to tho end"
SNOW" answered Ayesha, with proud hu-
mility--"now when my lord doth speak thus
royalty and give with so free hand, it can
not become me to lag behind in words and DO
beggared Of my generosity. Behold" and
sho took his hand and placed 1t upon her
shapely head, and then bent herself slowly
down till one knee for an instant touched the
gromd--4behold, in token Of submission do
bow me to my lord. Behold" and she kissed
him on tho lips, Sin token Of my wifely love
do kiss my lord. Behold" and she laid her
hand upon his heart, "by the sin sinned, by
my lonely centuries of waiting wherewith II
was wiped out, by the great love wherewith
love, and by the spiiit-the eternal thing
that doth beget all life, from whom It Gibbs, ~
whom It doth return again-I swear.
u swear, even In this first most holy hour
of completed womanhood, swear that will
abandon evil and cherish good. / swear that
/ will be over guided by thy voice in tho
straightest path OF duty. l swear that will
eschew ambition, and through all my length
of endless days set wisdom over me as guild.
ing star to lead me unto truth and knowl-
edge Of the right swear also that will
honor and will cherish thee, Kallikrntes, who
hath been swept by the wave of time back
into my arms, ay, till the very end, come It
soon or late. / swear--nay, will swear no
more, for what are wordsl Yet shalt thou
learn that Ayesha hath no false tongue So
/ have sworn, ami thou, my Holly, art wit
ness to my oath. Here, too, arc we wed, my
husband-wed till the end Of all things; hero
10 we write our marriage vows upon tho
rushing winds which shall bear them up to
heaven. and round and continually round tho
rolling world, with the gloom for bridal
canopy. t4f
"And for bridal gift to thee my beauty's
starry crown, and enduring life and wisdom
without measure and wealth that mono can
sount Behold Tho great ones of the Garth
shall creep about thy feet, and their fair
women shall cover up their eyes because Of
tho shining GLORY of thy face. md their visa
ones shall be abused before thee. Thou shalt
read tho hearts Of men as an open writing,
and hithor and thither shalt thou lead them
as thy pleasure listeth. Like that old
Sphinx Of Egypt shalt thou sit aloft from ago
70 age, and ever shall they cry TO thee 70
solve tho riddle Of thy greatness that doth
not pass away, and ever shalt thou mock
them with silence
"Beholdl once more kiss thee, nndby that
kiss give thee dominion over sea and earth,
over tho peasant in his hovel, over the mon
arch in his palace halls and cities crowned
with towers, and those who breathe therein.
Whers'er the sun shakes out his spears,
whcre'cr the lonesome waters mirror up the
.-cc., ,-he-eie- storms roll, ard henyens
painted bows arch in the slsy--from the pure
north shroudcd In her snows, across the mid
die spaces OF the world, to where tho nmorous
south, lying like bride upon her azure seas,
breathos in sighs made sweet with myrtle
bloom-there shall thy power pass and thy
dominion find q home. Nor sickness, nor icy
fingered fear, nor sorrow, and palo wnsto Of
form and mind lowering ever DER humanity
shall 30 much as shadow thee with the shadow
Of their wings. AS god shalt thou be, hold
ing good and evil in the hollow Of thy hnnd,
and ], even l, / humble myself before thee.
Such Is the power Of love, and such Is tho
bridal gift give unto thee, Kallikrates, royal
son Of Ra, my lord and lord Of all.
"And now 1t Is dono-and como storm,
como shine, come good, como evil, come life
come death, IL never, never can DO iindone.
For Of truth, that which Is, is, and being
done, is done for NY, and cannot DO altered.
] have sad-Iet us hence, that all things may
DO accomplished in their orders" and, taking
one Of tho lamps, sho advanced toward tho
end Of tho chamber that was rooted In by tho
swaying stone, where she hnlted.
We followed her and perceived that in tho
wall Of tho conc there was q stair, or, to DO
more accurate, that some projecting knobs OF
rock had boon so shaped as to form good
Initiation OF stair. Down this Ayesha began
10 climb, springing from step TO step like
clamois and after her we followed with
less grace. When we had descended
some fifteen or sixteen stops we found that